What Is Android?

On November 5th, 2007 leading technology and wireless companies came together to announce the future development of a truly open platform for all kinds of mobile devices Android. Leading this development are Google Inc, T-Mobile, Intel, HTC, Qualcomm, Motorola along with many other companies under the umbrella of the Open Handset Alliance a global alliance between technology and mobile industry leaders.

The Open Handset Alliances common aim is to foster and develop a new breed of innovation for mobile devices allowing a far better customers experience than today’s current mobile platforms. The OHA will provide a far greater degree of openness that will enable developers to work and collaborate in ways never before seen, Android will greatly improve and speed up the process in which new and innovative mobile services are development and made available to the end user.

Through the development of Android, developers, manufacturers and operators will be far better positioned to ship out new and innovative products far quicker and far cheaper than today’s standards. The Android platform will consist of an operating system, middleware, a user-friendly interface and powerful applications. This fully integrated bundle of software will significantly lower the current costs of developing mobile devices and services.

The Android platform will be licensed under one of the most progressive open-source licenses available giving operators and manufacturers unprecedented freedom to distribute, design, and build their own items. The OHA have recently released and early Android Software Development Kit (SDK) which provides current developers with the necessary tools to begin experimenting and creating unique applications for the platform.

The first batch of Android-powered phones is expected to be available in the second half of 2008.